PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies woke up on Friday morning to find themselves in postseason position for the first time since April 7.
More importantly, they then went out and played like a postseason-caliber team on Friday night -- well, at least offensively.
On a rare occasion in which they got contributions from throughout the lineup, the Phillies battled their way to an 8-6 victory in their series opener against the White Sox at Citizens Bank Park.
There was a lot to like from the club’s fourth straight victory, including a few particularly encouraging signs.
Struggling right fielder Adolis García homered for the second straight game after going deep just once in the entire month of May. Brandon Marsh hit his first homer off a left-handed starter since 2022. Alec Bohm had a pair of hits and a pair of RBIs out of the cleanup spot.
It's no secret that perhaps the three most concerning areas for the Phillies this season have been production out of right field, facing left-handed pitching and a lack of contributions out of the cleanup spot.
Check. Check. Check.
Even after letting the lead slip away on an off night for Jesús Luzardo, the Phillies put together the type of rally they've been missing all season. After the White Sox tied it in the top of the seventh, the Phillies recaptured the lead with a two-run bottom half that featured two singles, two walks, two stolen bases, a sacrifice fly, a run-scoring wild pitch -- and one incredible Kyle Schwarber headfirst slide (faceplant?) across the plate.
Put it all together and it resulted in the Phillies' fourth straight win and their eighth in the past 10 games. They have the best record in the Majors (25-10) since interim manager Don Mattingly took over on April 28.
They've gone from an early season freefall to currently tied for one of the National League Wild Card spots at 34-29. And even with 99 games left to play, it's never too early to check in on the standings.
"To be honest with you, I pay attention to it from the very first day," Mattingly said. "I see who's winning, and I watch the races all the time.
"But also with some perspective of knowing how many games are left, knowing what we have to do to take care of ourselves and just try to keep getting better and better all the time, so that as the end of the season is coming, we're playing our best baseball."